TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure is concerned with simulating pilot controls in an aircraft
specifically, but not exclusively, in the development of a cockpit layout.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Pilot controls are used in a flight deck or cockpit of an aircraft to control different
flight surfaces or control parameters such as power/thrust, braking etc. Pilots control
flight using combinations of levers, handles, joysticks, switch, buttons, wheels,
pedals. For example, a side stick is generally used for right/left/forward/backward
movement by the pilot to command moveable surfaces of the aircraft for controlling
the pitch and roll axes. The engine power or thrust might be controlled by levers
moved forwards/backwards or operation of a so-called thrust assy.
[0003] Cockpit layouts will be designed to be simple and safe to operate and consideration,
when designing cockpits, will be given to a number of factors including space and
weight-saving, ergonomics, familiarity to pilots, ease of access and operation, the
feel of the controls to the pilot, and the like. Many configurations and ergonomics
are possible. Variables include the type of motion of the controls - e.g. linear or
rotary; whether lever arms for rotation should be short pole or long pole, the direction
and degree of travel of the control, the relative position of any grips or handles
relative to the pilot and/or relative to the rest of the lever or other control member,
e.g. should the grip be central, lateral etc., and also characteristics of force feel,
force versus position and force versus speed.
[0004] During development of the aircraft, the layout of the cockpit and the pilot controls
is defined in the early stages of the project.
[0005] Traditionally, the preferred layout is arrived at using an iterative process whereby
a mock-up or prototype of the cockpit and each control is made and evaluated in a
pilot simulation. Based on pilot feedback, iterations will be made until a preferred
form for each control is arrived at. In the first mock-up, which will be very simple,
the preferred shape of the control member and its direction and degree of travel will
be determined on an iterative basis. This might require 3 or four (or even more) mock-ups
until the best designed is found. The iteration needs to be carried out separately
for each aspect of the design - e.g. first to identify the best type of motion for
a given control and then to identify the best position, then the best grip shape etc.
Each mock-up requires time to make, based on the feedback from the previous mock-up
and so the whole process is very time intensive and costly. A cockpit design can take
six to 12 months. Because of the time involved, a controls design team will usually
start from a design they think will be close to the preferred option, rather than
starting from scratch each time. Because of the desire to include as few iterations
as possible, sometimes a team might settle for 'good enough' rather than 'ideal'.
[0006] There is a need for a less time- and cost-intensive system for designing pilot controls
and cockpit layout.
SUMMARY
[0007] According to one aspect, the present disclosure provides a system for simulating
pilot controls, comprising one or more computer controlled arms, arranged to be mounted
in a cockpit environment and having a plurality of ranges of motion and trajectories
and configured to receive a control member for operation by a pilot.
[0008] According to another aspect, there is provided a method of designing pilot controls
in cockpit, the method comprising controlling one or more arms, on which is/are mounted
a control member, to locate the control member at different positions and allow movement
of the control member in a plurality of movement directions and trajectories.
[0009] The different movements preferably allow the possibility of different force feedback.
The pilot can, from the force feedback, determine the optimal positions for control
members such as levers, handles or pedals.
[0010] Preferably, a computer is provided to send commands to the arms to control the position
and/or movement of the arms.
[0011] Preferably, feedback may be provided from the position and/or movement of the arms
to a flight simulator display which can be e.g. a screen or a virtual reality headset.
[0012] The system is preferably mounted in a cockpit simulator having a pilot seat relative
to which the arms are positioned. The arms are mounted at an appropriate location
in the simulator e.g. in front of the pilot seat, or behind, above or below the seat.
The arms must be mounted such that the grips when mounted on the arms can be moved
to a location to be held and controlled by a pilot sitting in the seat.
[0013] The control computer can be mounted inside the cockpit simulator or outside for operation
by a tester based on feedback from the pilot.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] Preferred embodiments will now be described by way of example only and with reference
to the drawings.
Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a simulator system for designing pilot controls according
to the disclosure.
Fig. 2 shows the system of Fig. 1 in use for simulating one possible pilot controls
layout.
Fig. 3 shows the system of Fig. 1 in use for simulating another possible pilot controls
layout.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] Pilots controls are designed in a simulated cockpit, similar to those know for flight
simulation in e.g. pilot training. A pilot seat 1 is provided to simulated where and
how a pilot 2 would be seated in the cockpit of an aircraft.
[0016] To design the best possible arrangement for the various flight controls, the system
of the present disclosure includes one or more computer-controlled robotic or haptic
arms (here, two arms 3,4 are shown but a single arm could be used or more than two.)
The arms 3,4 will be described in more detail below, but these will have a range of
movement and trajectories and will be mounted in the simulator cockpit at an appropriate
location so that control members such as grips provided on the arms can be brought
into reach of the pilot 2. In the embodiment shown, the arms are mounted in front
of the pilot and extend towards the pilot. In other embodiments, the arms could be
mounted and extend from behind, below or above the pilot. In some cases, it may be
preferred that the arms are not in front of the pilot as the fact that s/he can see
the arms might affect their perception of the controls during testing.
[0017] A computer 5 is provided to send commands to the arms to command the desired trajectory,
travels, position and other parameters such as force, vibration or other factors that
simulate the real 'feel' of pilot controls during flight. This means that the arms
can be quickly and easily repositioned, have their travel or trajectory altered etc.
until the preferred control member is found, rather than having to repeatedly make
a new mock-up for testing by the pilot. The controls layout and configuration can
then be set in a single sitting.
[0018] Preferably, the simulator cockpit is connected to a flight simulator computer 6 to
convert the positions of the arms to flight simulation graphics on a screen 9 in front
of the pilot and/or to a virtual reality (VR) headset worn by the pilot.
[0019] In some embodiments, computer 5 and computer 6 can be the same computer.
[0020] Grips 7 are mounted on the arms to simulate the part of the control that the pilot
would hold. The grips are formed in the shape intended for the actual pilot controls.
In the embodiment shown, grips for operation by the pilots hands are shown. The arms
can also be provided with other control members such as pedals for operation by the
pilot's foot, eg for braking, rudder control, etc. Preferably, these can be easily
exchanged for grips of different shapes or sizes. In a preferred embodiment, these
are made using 3D printing or additive manufacturing so that different shapes can
be quickly provided during simulation and based on pilot feedback to determine the
preferred shape for the final design.
[0021] The robotic arms 3,4 are hinged and articulated at various locations 8, 8', 8" to
enable them to position the grips 7 relative to the pilot and to preform different
types of movement (e.g. linear, rotary) and travel and trajectory under the control
of the computer 5.
[0022] The pilot, in the simulation, can then grasp the grips 7 or place a foot on the pedal
and, based on the setting for the arms from the computer 5, the pilot will experience
the kinematics and ergonomics - i.e. type of movement, length of linear travel or
radius of rotation etc. of the pilot control for those settings. In preferred embodiments,
the arms 3,4 can also be programmed to reproduce the intended force feel e.g. the
force versus position, force versus speed etc. when the pilot operates the grip 7.
Based on feedback from the pilot for those settings the parameters are adjusted and
the pilot then experiences the feel of the controls at the new settings, and so on
until the ideal arrangement is found.
[0023] Because the robotic arms have a wide range of possible movement, a wide range of
ergonomics can be quickly evaluated. For example, the pilot can test a side stick
control having two axis of movement such as for controlling pitch and roll of the
aircraft, or having three axes of movement such as for controlling pitch, roll and
twist, or with four axes for testing control of up/down, pitch, roll and twist.
[0024] Fig. 2, for example, shows the arms 3,4 arranged for the pilot to test two side sticks
- i.e. two control sticks each located at a side of the pilot 2. The computer sets
parameters for the arms in terms of where the grips 7 are located relative to the
pilot 2, the trajectories - shown by the arrows in Fig. 2 - and whether the controls
are long or short pole. The grip shape and size is selected for a first test based
on experience. The pilot then operates the controls preferably observing the flight
simulator graphics on a screen in front of him or through a virtual reality headset
and provides feedback as to his perception of the controls with those settings and
parameters. Based on the pilot's feedback - e.g. grips to low, trajectory too long,
force feedback too low, etc. new settings will be programmed at the computer 5 and
the arms 3,4 will take up those settings. The pilot will then operate the controls
with the new settings and so on until the pilot finds the right ergonomics.
[0025] Fig. 3 shows and alternative layout providing one control in the form of a central
stick between the pilot's legs and a side stick - this time as a long pole control.
[0026] Again, the pilot will try the controls with the initial settings, provide feedback
and the settings will be adjusted until the ideal settings are found.
[0027] The use of a VR headset for the pilot to experience the flight simulation can be
preferred if the pilot might otherwise be distracted or perceive the controls differently
if he can see the robotic arms. With the VR headset, the pilot is more immersed in
the flight scenario.
[0028] Using the system of this disclosure, different iterations of the controls design
can be tested easily and quickly without the need to repeatedly physically create
new mock-ups of the controls for iterative testing, which is costly and time-intensive.
The system of this disclosure will lead to a cockpit controls design that is closer
to the pilot's ideal in a shorter time (perhaps a matter of hours or days as opposed
to months or even years) and at lower cost.
1. A system for simulating pilot controls, comprising one or more computer controlled
arms (3,4), arranged to be mounted in a cockpit environment and having a plurality
of ranges of motion and trajectories and configured to receive a control member (7)
for operation by a pilot.
2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a computer (5) configured to send commands
to the arm(s) (3,4) to control position and/or movement of the arm(s), and/or to control
force feedback.
3. The system of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a flight simulator display (9) and
means for providing feedback of position and/or movement of the arm(s) (3,4) to the
flight simulator display.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the flight simulator display comprises a screen.
5. The system of claim 3, wherein the flight simulator display comprises a virtual reality
headset.
6. The system of any preceding claim, wherein the control member comprises a handle.
7. The system of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control member comprises a pedal.
8. A cockpit simulator comprising a pilot seat (1) and a system for simulating pilot
controls as claimed in any preceding claim, the arm(s) (3,4) located relative to the
pilot seat such that the control grip (7), when mounted on the arm(s) can be held
and moved by a pilot when seated in the pilot seat.
9. The cockpit simulator of claim 8, wherein the arm(s) (3,4) is/are located in front
of the pilot seat (1).
10. The cockpit simulator of claim 8, wherein the arm(s) (3,4) is/are located above the
pilot seat (1).
11. The cockpit simulator of claim 8, wherein the arm(s) (3,4) is/are located behind the
pilot seat (1).
12. A method of designing pilot controls in cockpit, the method comprising controlling
one or more arms, on which is/are mounted a control member, to locate the control
member at different positions and allow movement of the control member in a plurality
of movement directions and trajectories, while allowing varying force feedback.